Guard watches coast for oil slick's first wave

[SolidSnake84]

Originally Posted by Trample the Elderly

Look, take away the aspect that there might be an agenda behind this.

It's very simple.

Basic Plumbing 101:

1. Unscrew the bolts holding the couplers together.

2. Take off the damaged pipe.

3. Have another pipe with a relief valve on it and the bolts pre-welded in ready. Make sure the relief valve is open so the pressure from the oil will not blow off the new pipe.

4. Bolt on the new pipe.

5. Close the relief valve.

Problem solved.

Your idea would indeed work if it wasn't for the fact that the well casing itself was damaged during the top-kill operation.

The actual well casing itself is now damaged, and oil is leaking from it up through the sea floor. That's why BP gave up on the idea of installing a new blowout preventer. The pressure from having the wellhead suddenly closed would blowout what is left of the well casing, leaving a leak way worse and with no way to fix it.

And to joetheismanfan -- all of your points are correct. When Bill Nye the science guy was on TV, he explained that even though wells only produce typically for 5 to 10 years, the level of oil in this macondo well, while not infinite, has the potential to flow for the next 100 years.

A relief well is also not a sure bet. The government's private scientists have said in the past that drilling a relief well at this depth, has only about a 30 to 40% chance of success. We all universally agree that what has happened is beyond the limits of man and even science...at this point, the only person who will fix the gulf is GOD. I'm not trying to be a religious nut, but that's the truth....